Biography of Baldomero Espartero (1793-1879)

Baldomero Espartero.

General and Spanish politician, born at Granátula (Ciudad Real) in 1793 and died in Logroño on January 8, 1879. Humble family, was the son of a craftsman Builder of carriages. His parents made him enter the Seminary of the Dominicans of Almagro, but at the outbreak of the war of independence, he fled the convent and he enlisted as a volunteer in the army. In 1810, he entered the Academy military de la Isla de León, which reached the grade of second lieutenant. In 1815, Lieutenant, already embarked on the expedition of general Morillo to defend against Spanish rule in the American colonies. This did not prevent him, on the contrary, swearing the Constitution in 1820, and it even says that he wrote a poem in commemoration of the event: "in such prosperous news gift... the underdog spirit enlarge / Trocad the woes by sound alive!".

He distinguished himself in fighting with separatists, so rose successively to the rank of brigadier. Better then this stay on American soil, and the progressive military related to his person, the name of ayacuchos, although Espartero was not directly involved in the famous military action which gave to the fret, in 1824, with the Spanish colonial rule. He returned to Spain in 1825. At the outbreak of the first Carlist War, he requested to fight the rebels and moved with his regiment to Valencia. In January 1834, he was appointed general commander of Vizcaya, and began a phase of uninterrupted fight in front of the North, where he stood very soon by a series of military actions, lucky, but at the same time for his cruelty, both applied to the enemy retaliation and punishment to its own troops. In the summer of 1836, after the mutiny of La Granja, resigned the general Fernández of Córdoba from his post of Chief of the army of the North, and Espartero was named his successor, while he was elected as a Deputy for Logroño. From this position he led the decisive battle of Luchana, which forced the Carlists to lift the siege of Bilbao. This action earned him the title of count of Luchana, which would unite before the war, the Duke de la Victoria and Duke of Morella. In 1839, and as a result of the negotiations with the Carlist sectors, led by the general Maroto, managed to sign with this Convention of Vergara (VIII-29-1839, and ratified on 31-VIII-1893), which was the pacification of the country, and the end of the hopes of absolutism.

Espartero, filled with honors and become a national Idol, gave way to his political ambitions. The revolutionary events initiated in July 1840 in Barcelona was, following the resignation of María Cristina, the Regency of the country. His performance as Regent was a succession of mistakes that earned the opposition of the parliamentary leaders of civil progressivism in the Congress, and that, as a result, precipitated the fall of the Regent, who had to take refuge in England until Narváez gave titles and honours, and allowed him to return to Spain. His return to the Spanish policy came to pass after the "Vicalvarada" and the revolution of July 1854, when Elizabeth II entrusted him with the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, office he held during the so-called progressive biennium. During his rule the constituent courts of which arose the Constitution met nonnata in 1856. After the crisis of July 1856 Espartero resigned in favour of the Minister of war, O'Donnell, who served as Chairman. Espartero abandoned the political prominence and retreated to Logrono.destronada Elizabeth II by the revolution of September 1868, a sector of progressives and own Prim asked him to accept the Crown of Spain, but he refused it, citing health reasons. Elected Amadeus I of Savoy as King of Spain, granted him the title of Prince of Vergara, with treatment of Royal Highness.

The sides "over the ban on selling military effects" are among his political writings (Miranda de Ebro, 1 March 1838) and "General in Chief of the armies gathered the inhabitants of Navarre and the Basque provinces" (Logroño, 11 June 1838); exhibition "Lady: when the gravity of the evils" (Logroño, 1838), on the Organization of the reserve army, "exposure to S.M. Queen Governor on the events in Seville" (Madrid, 1838) and "representation to S.M. on the reserve army of 40,000 men (Madrid, 1838)."

In 1846 appeared in Madrid Espartero: contemporary pages, written by himself; preceded by a prologue by Eduardo Chao.

Bibliography

BORDAS, Luis: History of the revolution and civil war of Spain. Barcelona, 1847.

CHAO, Eduardo: Espartero. Contemporary pages written by himself and preceded by a prologue by Eduardo Chao. Madrid, 1846.